Tuesday’s Centre budget allocation for the Union Environment Ministry was increased by 5.6 percent from the previous fiscal, but the allocation to pollution control was reduced by Rs 10 million.
The budget for National Mission for Green India was increased from Rs 290 Crore in the previous financial year to Rs 361.69crore this year. Rs 300 crore was allotted for the national afforestation programme, more than Rs 235crore last year.
Nirmala Sitharaman is the Union Finance Minister. She has allocated Rs 3,030 Crore to the ministry for fiscal year 2022-23. Of this, Rs 460 Crore were allotted to pollution control. This is Rs 10 crore less that the Budget last year.
In her speech, she highlighted India’s commitment in reducing its carbon footprint and stated that the Budget proposes a number of near-term as well as long-term actions.
“The greatest negative externalities that can affect India and other countries are climate change’s risks. At the COP26 summit in Glasgow last Nov, the prime minister stated that’mindful and deliberate utilisation is what is needed today, instead of mindless, destructive consumption. Our government’s strong commitment toward sustainable development is evident in the ‘Panchamrit,’ which he announced. This strategy opens up enormous employment opportunities and will lead the country to a sustainable development path. Sitharaman said that the budget outlines a range of near-term as well as long-term actions.
However, the finance minister maintained the same budget allocation as the previous year under the heading “climate change actions plan”, at Rs 30 crore.
The Union Budget also reduced the budgetary allocation for Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM), a statutory body responsible for managing air quality in the capital region and adjacent areas. It was originally set at 20 crore in 2021-22, but it has been lowered to Rs 17 million this fiscal year.
Control of Pollution is a concept that provides financial assistance to Pollution Control Boards/Committees, and funding for the National Clean Air Programme. (NCAP) was launched in January 2019.
The government-initiated projects Project Tiger (wildlife) saw an increase in allocation this year. The former was increased by Rs 50 crore, while the latter was increased by Rs 2 million.
Project Tiger, an initiative to conserve the wildcat, saw its allocation go up from Rs 250 crore in last year’s budget to Rs 300 million this time.
The Project saw an earlier reduction of Rs 100 million in two consecutive financial year, 2020-21 and 20,21-22. It was allocated Rs 350 crore in 2019-20. It was reduced to Rs 300 crore by 2020-21 and to Rs 250 million by 2021-22.
Project Elephant, which was created to conserve jumbos in the country, now has a budget of Rs 33 crore instead of Rs 35 crore.
The budget for National Tiger Conservation Authority was Rs 10 crore. It is a statutory agency under the ministry responsible to tiger census and conservation.
The Central Zoo Authority allocation was reduced from Rs 11 Crore last year to Rs ten crore this year.
The budget for National Coastal Mission was almost doubled in the previous fiscal at Rs 200 crore. It was cut by Rs 5 crore this financial year to Rs 195 crore for 2022-223.
In 2020-21, Rs 103 crore was allotted to the NCM. The government doubled the amount in 2021-22, at Rs 200 crore.
The National Coastal Mission entitles the environment ministry to ensure livelihood security for coastal communities, including fisher people, to conserve and protect the coast stretches, and to promote sustainable, scientific-based development. The Centre also increased the budgetary allocation for National Mission for Himalayan Studies to Rs 8 crore. It also increased the amount for various regional offices, statutory institutes, such as Wildlife Crime Control Bureau and Forest Survey of India, Zoological Survey of India and National Green Tribunal, from Rs 460 crore in 2021-22, to Rs 487 crore in this year.
The funds for ‘environment information and capacity building’ were also increased from Rs70 crore to Rs 78.62 million last year. It is the central sector scheme that has two sub-schemes, Forestry Training and Capacity Building and Eco Task Force.
The Budget for environmental education and awareness was also reduced from Rs.77.13 crore 2021-22, to Rs.58 crore 2022-23.
Budget this year also reduced the total allocation to five autonomous bodies within the environment ministry.
The five autonomous bodies – G B Pant Himalayan Institute of Environment and Development, Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education, Indian Institute of Forest Management, Indian Plywood Industries Research and Training Institute and Wildlife Institute of India (WII) – were allocated Rs 287.45 crore for this year compared to Rs 305.5 crore allotted to them in the last fiscal.
The budget for regulatory and statutory bodies was also reduced from Rs 160.5 crore last fiscal to 154.5 crore in this fiscal. These include the Central Pollution Control Board (Animal Welfare Board), Central Zoo Authority (Central Zoo Authority), National Biodiversity Authority (National Tiger Conservation Authority), and Commission for Air Quality Management.
(This story is not edited by Devdiscourse staff.